Random thoughts on food, cooking, restaurants, food products, food literature and kitchen equipment by Bobby Jay, a retired lawyer living in New York and Paris.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

En Passant (4) . . . Food Related Gifts

With the holidays just over, we have a respite from thinking about gifts. Or do we? What about birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, engagements, showers, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, etc.?

Here are three food-related items that make perfect gifts.

Modernist Cuisine

I recently had a chance to leaf through a copy of Nathan Myhrvold's amazing 6-volume Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking. At $650 retail (only $449 at Amazon) and taking up a lot of shelf space, this set is not for everyone, but in addition to the most spectacular food photos you will ever see, there appears to be a lot of interesting (useful?) information about cooking processes, ingredients, etc.

Copper Polenta Pot

This gorgeous polenta pot (paiolo), made by Ruffoni in Italy, is available from Williams-Sonoma for $175:

Cheese Knives

La Cucina Italiana, a fun publication that I recommend to anyone interested in cooking, published the following piece on cheese knives of varying types and to fit any budget:

Of course there is an infinite variety of food-related gifts - cookbooks, cooking classes, knives, pots and pans and other equipment, etc. - but these are some that struck me in my post-holiday haze.

About This Blog

This blog records my thoughts and experiences relating to cooking, eating, restaurants, food products and ingredients, kitchen equipment and other matters relating to cuisine.
I do not offer reviews of New York restaurants; there are already enough reviewers and points of view. I will, however, discuss things that I discover at restaurants that may be of interest to others. I will offer brief reviews of selected Paris restaurants, as I am often asked for suggestions by people planning trips to that marvelous and beautiful city. In particular, I report from time to time on my ongoing quest for excellent, reasonably-priced restaurants in Paris; fortunately, there are many.